Take This To Heart
by Falling to Fly
Summary: One moment. That was all it took to change everything in an instant. One moment. One brief point in time that could change their lives forever. One moment. Will the boys make it through? Angsty song- fic


**Okay, so this a plain old one shot turned song fic. The song is Take This To Heart by Mayday Parade. I didn't plan on it being a song fic, it just... worked. Also, after I finished _Repercussions_ I told myself that I should take a mini break. Nothing too long, just a few days or maybe a week at most, but, well, obviously that didn't happen. Whoops:) But a day is enough of a break, and I'll probably take a little bit longer one after this (though not to long:) So here is a random thing that I did. I hope you guys like it.**

**Disclaimer: Is this really necessary? I'm pretty sure we all know I don't own Big Time Rush...**

Blackness. That was all he could see. Crushing, suffocating darkness. It felt like he was drowning just below the surface. All he needed to do was push up once more, but he couldn't move. Sitting there in the never ending blackness, he could feel pain in every part of his body. He wanted so badly to open his eyes, to move, to do _something_, but he couldn't. He just couldn't. He was floating, and if he tried to move, he would fall.

The silence was deafening. It felt so _wrong_, not having something to listen to. There was always noise, whether he was asleep or awake. The absolute quietness added to the smothering blackness, and he felt himself slowly going insane. Then the silence was broken, and he could hear voices just above the surface.

He didn't move, only listened, trying to decipher what they were saying. Everything was muffled, like he was under water. Everything felt like it was under water. _Did I drown?_ He wondered. The voices got louder and more desperate, calling for him. _Carlos…_ That was his name. They were saying his name over and over again, their voices pleading. They sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place them. _Carlos… Carlos…_ They sounded pleading, like they wanted him to do something. But still he didn't move.

_Carlos…_ Finally he places the voices: Kendall and Logan. Why were they yelling at him? Why wasn't he responding? He didn't know the answer to either question. _Carlos… _The pain and distress in their voices hit him like a brick. He wanted to scream at them, demand what they needed, but his body wouldn't listen to him. He still couldn't move.

Now he was starting to panic. _Why can't I move?_ He tried to flail his arms around and kick out his legs but nothing happened. With every passing second he felt his anxiety growing. _Why can't I move?_ Kendall and Logan were still calling out to him, saying things that he couldn't make out. _Carlos…_ Wait, why was it only the two of them? Shouldn't there be three? _James._ He heard them say the name of his other friend, and if he could move he would have nodded. _Where's James? _he wondered. He waited, trying to be patient as he listened for his tallest friend's voice, but he didn't hear it.

_Cause I'm a mess and you know that I can't help it..._

He couldn't take it. He had to know what was going on. He focused every ounce of energy that he had on opening his eyes. It was a huge strain, but he slowly felt his eyes opening. Bright light attacked his retinas, but he refused to close his eyes. He knew that he wouldn't have the strength to open them again if he did.

He saw Kendall and Logan staring down at him, their faces filled with hesitant hope. "Carlos?" Logan asked hesitantly. Carlos stared at them, unable to do anything else. The effort to keep his eyes open was hard, and took all of his attention. "Do you think he lost his memory?" Kendall asked worriedly, looking at Logan with scared eyes. The Big Time Brain bit his lip and looked at Carlos. _Lost my memory?_ Carlos thought in confusion. _Why would I do that?_

"Carlos, do you know who we are?" Logan asked softly. The fear in his eyes scared Carlos. He'd never seen that kind of terror in anyone. He glanced at Kendall and saw the same look mirrored on his face. _What happened?_ he wondered. _What could have been that bad?_ "Carlos?" Logan asked again, trembling as he watched his friend. Carlos looked at him and felt a surge of strength. "Yes," he whispered.

_And I swear we'll make it..._

The relief on their faces was unbelievable. Their eyes lit up, and they both gave him a small smile. For the first time Carlos took in his surroundings. He was in a bed, and everything around him was white. _Did I die?_ was his first thought, but he quickly shook the idea off. There was no way he could be dead and still be in so much pain. "Do you know where you are?" Kendall spoke up. "No," he whispered, watching as Kendall and Logan's eyes filled with sadness once again. "Carlos, you're in the hospital."

Carlos' eyes widened. _The hospital? _"The hospital?" he asked hoarsely. For the first time he realized how banged up his friends looked. Kendall's right hand was in a cast and Logan had a huge bandage on his forehead. Both of them had numerous bruises on every visible part of their bodies, but the pain in their eyes was by far the worst part. They looked like they had just seen someone die. "Do you remember what happened?" Logan asked softly. Carlos bit his lip. "No, I-" he broke off as everything came rushing back. "No…"

_"Come on, Logan, you just got your official license! Tell me you don't want to go drive without having to have Bitters in the trunk?" Carlos said, grinning as Logan reluctantly looked at the keys Kendall had dangling in his hand. "Well, yeah, I guess I do, but-" James cut him off. "No buts! Come on, we have the car, we have the license, and we have the whole city of L.A.! Not to mention Gustavo gave us the day off. Can you see any reason not to go?" he demanded. Logan sighed. "No, but-" "Great!" Kendall said, grabbing Logan's arm and dragging him towards the Big Time Rush Mobile. "Let's go!"_

_He shoved Logan into the driver's seat while James and Carlos fought each other for the passenger's seat. "Shotgun!" James screamed. Carlos backed off and glared at him. "You called it," he growled accusingly. James smirked at his friend. "You bet I did," he said happily, climbing into the car. Carlos sighed and got into the seat behind him, sitting next to Kendall. "Whatever," he muttered. He brightened when Logan put the key in the ignition and started the car. "Let's go!" he cried excitedly. Logan pulled out of the parking lot and drove off down the streets of L.A._

_"Yeah!" James said, fist pumping as Logan drove. "You've got your license, we've got this awesome car, and we're going to be famous! Could life get any better?" he asked as Logan pulled to a stop as the light turned red. "Things are pretty good," Logan admitted, smiling at his friend's excitement. "Good?" Carlos asked in shock. "Things are great! Our album comes out in a month," he pointed out cheerfully as Logan started driving again. "And then we get to go on tour, and-" "LOOK OUT!" Kendall screamed. Everyone jumped and looked to what he was pointing at just as another car slammed into the passenger's side of the car. Carlos felt a sharp pain in his head and leg and felt the car flip and hit the ground hard. His friends screamed as the car rolled, and finally everything came to a stop. _

_Carlos sat there unmoving, the pain in his head overwhelming him. "Guys, is everyone alright?" Kendall asked frantically. "I'm fine," Logan said, sounding dazed. "I…" Carlos tried to say, but he didn't have the strength. Silence filled the car. "James?" Kendall asked. No answer. "Oh, crap!" Logan yelled, looking over. Carlos tried to move so that he could see James, but everything was spinning. "James…" he whispered as his world spun. He heard sirens in the distance and his friends' frenzied cries. Then everything dissolved to black and he slumped in his seat, unconscious._

Carlos looked at Kendall and Logan, panic written across his face. "Is he…?" he asked, fearing the answer. His heart clenched as they looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "Oh God," he said in a choked voice, letting out a sob. Tears ran down his cheeks and his body shook as he cried. "James…"

He felt them pull him into a gentle hug. "Shhh, Carlos, he's not dead. Carlos, look at me. He's not dead," Logan said softly. Carlos looked up at him with innocent, tear- filled eyes and gave him a look that broke Logan's heart. "W-what? But then where-" Kendall cut him off. "He's in a coma," he said quietly. Carlos stared at him in horror, all relief washed away. "A-a _coma?_" he asked in disbelief. The boys nodded at him sadly. "Yeah. He took the worst of it," Kendall said.

Carlos closed his eyes and sank into the pillows. "Will he be okay?" he whispered. Logan and Kendall exchanged glances and bit their lips. Carlos opened his eyes and gave them a hard look. "Answer me!" he screamed, nearly hysterical. "Will. He. Be. Okay?" Logan sighed in frustration. "We don't know," he muttered. Carlos glared at him, tears still streaming from his eyes. "What do you mean you don't know?" he demanded, trembling as Logan looked away again. "Logan, answer me!" he yelled, instantly regretting the harshness in his voice. "Please," he said, this time being gentler. "Logan, I need to know."

_But I can't tell you what I don't know, you'll have to wait..._

Logan stared at him with red, puffy eyes. "He got hit really hard on the head. He broke his leg in two places, he had two broken ribs, three cracked ones, and a huge gash on his arm. Not to mention the dozens of bruises and other cuts all over his body," he said bluntly, no emotion in his face. Carlos' eyes widened in horror. "Logan!" Kendall reprimanded, glaring at him. Logan blinked and instantly looked ashamed. "I-I'm sorry, Carlos. I-I didn't mean to say it like that, I just… You didn't see him, there was so much blood, and he- he…" he broke off in a choked sob. Carlos gazed at him sympathetically. "It's okay," he murmured, pulling him into a hug as he continued to sob.

Kendall put his hand on Logan's shoulder hesitantly, feeling uncomfortable. He felt so out of place. Usually Carlos and Logan fixed things together while he and James solved some other problem. He wasn't sure why, because they were all equally close to each other. It just… worked out that way. But with James unconscious in some other room, he was left alone.

Noticing Kendall's longing look, Carlos patted the spot next to him. Kendall sat down immediately and Carlos pulled him in, making a group hug. Kendall let a few tears slip out, but he refused to make a sound. _You're the leader,_ he told himself. _You can't show any weakness. You have to be strong for Carlos and Logan, and James. Don't you dare cry…_ It was so hard. He wanted nothing more than to break down sobbing like Logan was now, but he couldn't do that. He was the leader, he had to…

_Stay safe, stay strong..._

He met Carlos' eyes and saw something that he'd never seen before. He couldn't describe it, it was so alien to him. Carlos looked so… determined? No, that word didn't even begin to explain it. It was almost as if he was encouraging Kendall to cry, to step down, and that it was okay. Carlos was telling him that this time he didn't have to be the strong one, the leader. He could cry with his friends and they wouldn't think anything less of him. For once in his life, Kendall didn't have to be the leader.

So that's what he did. Wordlessly he buried his face in Carlos' shoulder and let the tears he had been trying so hard to keep in slip out. Heavy sobs wracked his body as he bawled, letting himself forget all about being the leader and being strong. He just let himself cry and cry and cry next to Logan, allowing Carlos to hug him comfortingly as he did so.

_Let's get this right..._

It had been so horrible. He remembered the sudden crunch as another car barreled into theirs, sending them flying through the air. It had hit James and Carlos' side, but he still got tossed around. His hand got cut on a piece of glass from the shattered window, and as soon as the car stopped rolling he could see that it would need stitches. But that had been the last thing on his mind.

He remembered Logan's scream when he saw James. That had been the worst part. Logan hadn't been kidding when he'd said there was a ton of blood. It gushed from a deep cut on James' forehead, and from the gaping wound in his arm. His head hung limply, and he wasn't moving. His breathing was so shallow that Kendall was amazed that was getting any air. For once in his life, James Diamond looked terrible. And that broke Kendall's heart.

Then he had seen Logan. Blood oozed from a small cut in his head, but that wasn't the part that bothered Kendall the most; it was the look on his face. He looked horrified and shocked, which was completely understandable, but there was more than that. He looked almost… guilty.

Before Kendall could say anything he'd heard footsteps running toward them and someone had knelt down, trying to look inside the car. "Is everyone okay?" the stranger had shouted, looking concerned. Kendall had almost been too shocked to move. "M-my friend is bleeding a lot and h-he won't wake up," he had said shakily. He had noticed that Carlos' eyes were closed as well and had shaken him gently. "Carlos?" No answer. "Oh no," Kendall had moaned. "What is it, son?" the man asked. "One of my other friends is unconscious too," he told him, starting to cry. "Anyone else?" the man asked gently. Kendall looked at Logan, who was still staring at James. "My friend Logan. He looks okay, b-but I think he's in shock or something," Kendall had stammered. "Okay, just hang in there, okay? The paramedics are almost here. What's your name, son?" he had asked. "K-Kendall." For the rest of the time the man had talked to him, trying to comfort him. He'd tried with Logan, but the other boy refused to speak.

Finally help had arrived. The metal was crushed so bad that they had to use a huge saw to cut the boys out. Paramedics loaded James and Carlos onto stretchers instantly and ran them off to waiting ambulances. A few EMT's had checked out Kendall and Logan and then taken them to the hospital as well. They had been fixed up relatively quickly and had tried to see James and Carlos, but they were told that James was in ICU and that they could only see Carlos. They'd settled for that, and now here they were, crying their eyes out on Carlos' hospital bed.

As Carlos held his friends he looked at himself. His leg was in a cast, and he felt something wrapped around his head, but other than that he couldn't see much else. He was of course covered in bruises, and he was incredibly sore, but he would survive. His only real concern was his friends. The way Logan had broken down was awful. James must have been in really bad shape. Logan had always been so good at looking at things in a logical way, but the raw emotion Carlos had seen in his eyes was full of pain. There was no looking at this like it was a math equation or a scientific formula. It was painfully real, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Logan stopped crying first. He leaned into Carlos' embrace and tried to calm his breathing, lost in thought. _It's all my fault,_ he thought to himself. He had been driving the car. If he'd just convinced his friends that they could go driving later, they wouldn't be in this mess. But he'd been selfish, and he'd gotten caught up in the excitement of finally having his driver's license. He should have been more careful, he should have seen that car coming. He knew the dangers of driving, and yet here he was, in the hospital with one of his best friends in a coma. "It's all my fault," he whispered.

_You said it hurts and you know that I believe you..._

Kendall's head snapped up and Carlos' jaw dropped in shock. "What?" they both shouted at the same time. Logan's eyes filled with tears again when he saw how hurt they looked. "It's my fault," he said again. Kendall shook his head wildly, as if he was trying shake away Logan's words. "No Logan, it's not your fault. It's not my fault, it's not Carlos' or James' fault, and it's not your fault. The only person to blame is that idiot who ran the red light," he said, trying to keep his anger out of his words. Logan stared at his friends miserably. "But I was driving. I should have-" Carlos cut him off. "You should have what? Made the car magically jump into the air? Put a force field around us? Huh? What would you have done, Logan?"

Logan opened his mouth, but nothing came out. What would he have done? "I-I…" he stuttered. Carlos nodded. "That's what I thought," he said smugly. Logan frowned and sighed. "I still feel like I should have done something," he said quietly. Kendall and Carlos nodded in understanding. "So do we," Kendall agreed. "I wish I'd tried harder to get the passenger seat," Carlos said. Kendall frowned at him but continued anyway. "I wish I had seen that other car sooner. And I'm pretty sure we all wish we hadn't pressured you into driving." Logan furrowed his brow. "But there's nothing you could have done…" he trailed off when he realized what he'd just said. "Oh."

Carlos and Kendall smiled when they saw that they'd finally gotten their point across. "Glad you see it our way," Kendall said, smirking as Logan blushed. "Yeah, well-" He was interrupted as the door opened and a nurse came in. She smiled when she saw that Carlos was awake. "Hello, boys," she said sweetly. "How are you feeling?" she asked, turning to Carlos. "A little sore," he admitted. Kendall and Logan leapt off the bed when they heard that, glaring at him. "Why didn't you tell us you were in pain?" Kendall demanded. Carlos laughed at them. "You guys weren't hurting me," he said, rolling his eyes. The nurse smirked. "Would you like some morphine?" she asked.

Carlos nodded and she pulled out a needle, releasing its contents into the IV. "There you go," she said kindly. Carlos smiled his thanks and she turned to leave. "So…" Carlos said, relaxing as the morphine entered his system. With the pain numbed, he realized that he was really tired. "What time is it?" he asked, frowning. Logan looked at his wrist and sighed. "No clue," he said. "My watch got smashed." Carlos looked over at the little digital clock that was on his bedside table. "It's eleven o'clock?" he asked in surprise. They'd started driving at about two. "How… how long was I out?"

Kendall frowned as he thought about it. "Ummm… Let's see, you woke up about an hour ago so… eight or nine hours." Carlos' eyes widened. "What! Are you serious?" Kendall nodded grimly. Carlos leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "Wow…" he muttered. There was a long silence as he stared up at the ceiling. "Hey guys, how-" he stopped as he saw that both of his friends were asleep. He smiled to himself and let his eyes close, drifting off into the land of sleep…

_Eight year old Carlos ran after James in the little creek that stood behind the Latino's house. Carlos laughed as James tripped and fell into the little stream, sending water splashing everywhere. "Ahhhhhhh!" James screamed, jumping up. "Cold! Cold cold cold cold cold!" he yelled, jumping up and down. Still laughing, Carlos took of his coat and held it out to James. "Here," he said, smiling as James hesitantly took it. "Aren't you going to get cold?" he asked. Carlos smiled some more. "Maybe. But at least I'm not all wet." James glared at him as he took his own jacket off and slipped Carlos' on. "Thanks," he said quietly._

_The boys walked side by side, following the stream. Finally Carlos stopped and fell back, landing on the soft grass. "This is my favorite part of the whole creek," he told James as his friend sat next to him. James looked at him curiously, his eyes full of innocence. "Why?" Carlos reached over and pulled something out of the grass, holding it up for him to see. "See this? It's a dandelion. There's a million of them in the grass here!" He blew the flower and watched as the little seeds blew away with the breeze._

_James watched in silence. "My dad says that those are just weeds," he said quietly. "He says that blowing them is just spreading more of them, and that nobody likes weeds." Carlos cocked his head to the side, looking extremely thoughtful for the young age of eight. "Maybe," he said. "But my mom and dad say that for each one you blow you get a wish. And the way I see it, if you blow on them, aren't you just spreading more wishes?"_

_James brightened at the thought. "Yeah, you're right!" he said happily. "And everyone likes wishes, right?" Carlos nodded and smiled. "Exactly!" The two each grabbed a handful of the wishing weeds and blew hard, sending hundreds of little dandelion seeds into the air. "What did you wish for?" Carlos asked. James watched as the tiny white seeds danced in the air. "I wished that Kendall and Logan could be here to make wishes with us," he said. Carlos grinned wildly, his eyes lighting up. "Me too! Maybe since we both wished for the same thing it will happen! Wouldn't that be great?"_

_Before James could answer the boys heard someone calling their names. "Carlos, James!" The two looked at each other with wide eyes. "No way!" James said excitedly, jumping up and down. "We're over here!" Carlos yelled, jumping up and waving his arms wildly. Seconds later Kendall and Logan came into view. "Guys, guess what? We both wished that you guys would be here and now you are!" James said breathlessly. Logan looked a little skeptical, but Kendall's eyes brightened. "Awesome!" he cried, grabbing a dandelion. "I wanna try!" He took a deep breath and blew as hard as he could. Logan finally smiled and stepped up. "Me too!"_

_The boys spent the next hour finding every dandelion they could, blowing the seeds off of every one they could get their hands on. By the time they were finished the little patch of the creek was covered in the small seeds and stems. The boys all fell back on the ground, sharing their wishes with each other. "I wished that I could play hockey for the rest of my life," Kendall said happily. "I wished that I could become a doctor," Logan told them proudly. "Oh Logan, that's so boring! I wished that I had a swirly slide in my house!" Carlos said, smiling. "You can't have a swirly side in your house!" Logan pointed out, launching the two eight year olds into a heated debate._

_Kendall and James stood back and watched, laughing. Kendall turned to James and looked at him expectantly. "So what did you wish for?" he asked. James smiled, his eyes full of joy. "I wished that I could become famous! And that I would have a bunch of adventures with you guys!" he told him excitedly. Kendall raised his eyebrows and sighed. "I wished these things worked," he said, picking up a stem. James took the stem from his hands and turned it around in his hands. "But they do work," he said quietly. Kendall didn't hear him and turned his attention back to Carlos and Logan, who were now wrestling on the ground. "Guys!" he cried in exasperation._

_James watched as Kendall joined the fray, trying to pull the two apart. Somehow Carlos ended up rolling to where he was standing at looked at him with innocent eyes. "Hey James," he said, smiling sweetly. James narrowed his eyes at him, knowing that he wasn't as angelic as he appeared to be. "What are you-" Carlos reached and grabbed his ankle, giving it a hard tug and sending James crashing backwards right into the stream. "Ahhhhhhh!" he screamed as the freezing water soaked through Carlos' jacket. "Carlos!"_

Carlos woke with a start as he realized that someone actually was calling his name. "Carlos!" Said boy opened his eyes sleepily and looked up to see Logan and Kendall leaning over him. "What's up?" he asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes. "You were talking in your sleep and kicking around on the bed. You almost nailed Logan is the face," Kendall explained, smiling as Logan glared at him. "Whatever. Anyway, were you having a nightmare or something?" Carlos tried to remember what his dream had been about and smiled. "No, it was actually a memory," he explained, still grinning. "A memory? Of what?" Logan asked curiously.

"It was that time were we were in the creek behind my house and we made a wish on every dandelion. Remember that?" Carlos asked, watching as the others smiled fondly at the memory. "Oh yeah! That part of the creek was covered in them the next year! I remember you and James were so convinced that they were really magical because Kendall and I showed up!" Logan laughed. "And then you and I got in a fight over how… you couldn't have a… swirly slide," he said, his mouth dropping open. "And Kendall wanted to play hockey for the rest of his life and you wanted to be a doctor," Carlos added, smirking. "And look who's dream has come true?" he said smugly.

Kendall was staring into empty space in shock. "Do you guys remember what James wished for?" he asked quietly. Carlos smiled and nodded, but Logan looked confused and shook his head. "He said he wished he could become famous and have a bunch of adventures with us." Logan's eyes widened even more, and Carlos' grin widened. "See? The dandelions were magic!" he said excitedly. Kendall nodded and sighed. "I wish we had a dandelion right now," he said wistfully. "Three guesses as to what I'd wish for."

Silence fell over the boys as soon as Kendall said that. They didn't need three guesses; they all knew that the only thing that they were really wishing for right now was for James to be okay. But maybe they didn't need to wish for that. Maybe all they needed was to hope, and trust him not to give up on them, because they wouldn't give up on him. Carlos sighed and gazed off into space. He still wished he could have a dandelion. James would need all the wished he could get.

_Tell your heart to just to wait a little longer, I swear we'll make it..._

* * *

James felt himself floating in a sea of white. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was, but everything was white. He looked up and down and saw that it was never ending white. White, white, white. He knew he should be freaking out and trying to find a way out, but he felt so incredibly… peaceful.

For the first time since coming to L.A., everything was completely still and silent. It was amazing. There was nothing to stress him out, or make him angry or upset. Gustavo was yelling at him, Kelly was freaking out about something he and the guys had just done, and there was no city buzz. The only part of the silence that made him even a little sad was the absence of his friends' voices, but he was still blissful.

He turned around and raised his eyebrows when he saw someone standing next to him. He wasn't surprised, not really, he just… reacted. The man smiled at him kindly. "Hello, James," he said. Under any other circumstances he would have run away screaming, but there was something about this man that made him feel… safe. "Hello."

"Do you remember what happened, James?" the man asked gently. James shook his head. Something had happened? The man waved his arm and a small square of whiteness rippled and changed into a picture. _It's a movie, _James thought to himself. He saw himself and his friends in their car, driving down the streets of L.A. Suddenly another car smashed into them and they went flying. There was no sound, but he could still hear the sickening crunch of metal and his friends' screams. The car flipped over in a twisted hunk of metal and the movie switched to the inside of the car.

He saw Kendall looking around, screaming something and looking panicked. Carlos was leaning into the seat and looked like he was having trouble staying awake. Logan was staring at something in horror, looking shocked and something else that James couldn't quite place. And then he saw himself.

His hair was sticking up wildly, blood streaming from his head. His shirt and arm were already soaked in blood, and his leg was bent at a weird angle. His eyes were closed and his face was as white as a sheet of paper. The sight should have sickened him, but he found that he was surprisingly calm. "I see," he said as the video ended. He turned back to the man. "So who are you?"

The man smiled at him again. "Who I am is not important right now, James. What is important is what I can do." James just stared at him, still at peace. "So what can you do for me?" he asked. "I can give you a choice."

"On earth, you're sitting in a hospital bed in a coma. You're body is damaged, and you're near death. If you come with me, you're body will become strong, and everything will be good for you. You're friends, however, would be a different story." He waved his arm again and James found himself looking at his friends. They were in a group hug, bandaged and crying. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but after knowing them for years it was easy to tell that they were hurting about something.

"If you come with me, you'll leave everything behind. The pain, the hardships, everything bad. But you'll also be leaving behind everything good. You're friends and family will be left to take on the burdens that you leave behind, and they'll suffer during their time on earth. Things may eventually get easier on them, but it will be incredibly hard for a long time." James listened to everything he said in silence, deep in thought.

"But that's only if you choose to come with me. There is another choice: you can go back. You can go back to earth to your broken body and continue living. It will be painful for you, but it will make life so much easier for your loved ones. You'll have them to help you get through the pain, and you will survive and live a full life. This choice will be harder for you, but will get easier in time."

"Now the choice is up to you. Neither one is right or wrong, but both will make a huge impact on many lives. I know that whatever decision you make will be the best. So now, I ask you," he said, holding out his hand. "Which do you choose?"

* * *

Kendall, Carlos, and Logan sat in the hospital waiting room, watching the door agitatedly. Carlos had been released, and now had crutches resting next to him. If James made it through, they would be crutch buddies. He could only imagine the jokes Kendall and Logan would hurl at them, but it would be worth it as long as he had someone to get made fun of with.

Kendall and Logan jumped up as a doctor walked through the door and Carlos struggled to his feet, trying to balance himself on his crutches. "James Diamond?" the doctor asked them. They nodded eagerly. "That's us," Kendall said, trying to read the doctor's face. "Is his legal guardian here?" the doctor asked. Kendall shook his head. "No, she left to take my little sister home. Can't you just tell us how he is?" The doctor looked a little reluctant but he when he saw the blatant fear and worry on the boys' faces he nodded. "James is…"

* * *

James stared at the outstretched hand, arguing with himself. He'd done some pretty selfish things in his life, but could he do this? What if it was Carlos, or Kendall, or Logan in his position? What if they walked away from him forever? Was he really prepared to do that to his friends?

But he didn't want the pain anymore. He wanted to be at peace, without all the pain and worry that was waiting for him if he went back to earth. He wanted this more than he'd ever wanted anything, even to become famous. Couldn't he do this one thing for himself?

James' eyes never left the hand in front of him as the battle waged inside him. Suddenly he knew what he had to do. The man had been right: his decision would have a huge impact on everyone's lives. Without another thought, James made his choice.

* * *

_Cause every song is ours tonight..._

"Alive," the doctor finished. The boys let out sighs of relief. "We've managed to stabilize him, and we moved him out of ICU and into a room. He's still unconscious, and I'm not sure when he'll wake up, but I believe he's going to make it," the doctor said with a smile. "It's nothing short of a miracle. He was so close to death when he was brought in that we almost didn't expect him to make it through. Oh, and he's in room 12C if you'd like to see him." They didn't need to be told twice, and instantly sprinted through the doors, Carlos hobbling as he struggled to keep up. When they reached the room they all froze, trying to prepare themselves. "Well here goes nothing," Kendall said, flinging open the door.

The boys jumped about a foot into the air when they saw that James was sitting up and staring at them. "Hey guys," he croaked, giving them a small smile when he saw the looks on their faces. They stared at him in shock before jumping at him, pulling him into a group hug. "James!" they all cried together. Pain shot through his whole body as they hugged him, but when James tried to squirm it just got worse. "Guys," he gasped. They jumped away when they heard the pain in his voice. "Sorry!" they all yelled, panic in their eyes. James smiled again, trying to put them at ease. "It's okay, guys, really. I'm fine now."

"You are not fine," Logan said, his voice shaking. "Everything is broken or bruised or cut. You almost _died,_" he said, watching as James cringed at his words. "How is that fine?" James looked at him sadly, remembering the man's words. _This choice will be harder for you…_ He hadn't just meant physically. Looking at each of his friends' faces he saw that they had been horribly shaken. They looked lost, and a little… was that fear? Did they still think he was going to die? "You're right Logan," he said, surprising them all. "I-I'm right?" Logan stuttered. James nodded, wincing at the sudden pain in his head. "I'm a mess. I almost died, I can't argue with you there. But you're forgetting one key detail." The boys looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" Carlos asked. "Is there something else wrong? Do we need to get a doctor in here, or something? Because we-" James cut him off. "No, Carlos, nothing else is wrong," he said, smiling. Carlos frowned at him. "Then what did we forget?"

The boys looked at him expectantly. And then it hit them. Everything that had happened that day rushed back, running through their heads like a movie being fast forwarded. They saw the crash, their injuries, the hospital, all the things that had happened that led up to this point. The doctor's words echoed in their heads. _It's nothing short of a miracle._ It was a miracle. Suddenly they understood what that key detail was. It was the thing that had kept them up, that had made them be strong, that had kept them going and hoping. That one important piece of information that made all the difference. They had forgotten about the only thing about the whole incident that really mattered. James noticed that they'd figured it out, but he decided to tell them anyway.

_I'm gonna tell the whole world that it's the greatest thing that happened to me..._

"I'm alive."

**Okay, confession time: I only wrote this because there was one little part that just randomly came to me, and I had to put it somewhere because I thought it was just so cute. I have fondly entitled it "The Dandelion Moment.":) So what did you guys think? Was it good, bad? Totally epic or just a complete waste of time? I just can't stay away from angst can I:) Let me know what you guys think (That's my subtle way of saying "PLEASE REVIEW!")**


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